Petee hayden



(No Model.)

P. HAYDEN."

GENTER BRAGB P03 FENGEST I No. 245,921.

Patented Aug. 16, 1881;

Zi'zuesses,

Pholo-Lflhogmphen Washhvglon, n. c.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CENTER BRACE FOR FENCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent No. 245,921, dated August16, 1881.

Application filed May 16, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER HAYDEN, a citizen of theUnitcd States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Center Braces forStrengthening the Metallic Strips or Strands of Fences, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of iron fences in which themetallic strips or strands are composed of strips or strands of wroughtiron or steel twisted separately into spiral form and secured by windingaround the posts.

I will here premise that a wire fence has been provided with flatvertical strips of wood suspended from a top rail and hung upon thewires between the fence posts, said strips being formed with horizontalgrooves or notches made alternately upon opposite sides thereof. Bracesor droppers for a wire fence have also been formed of a V-shaped metalstrip with openings cut horizontally across the ridge or angle, saiddroppcrs being hung upon the wires and secured in place by wedgesinserted be tween the wires and the ridges of the droppers. Flat woodenpickets for fences composed of single wires have been formed withinclined grooves all on one and the same side, the fencewires beingsecured in the said grooves. A post for a wire fence has also beenformed of a flat body having wings or flanges extending in bothdirections at right angles to the body, so as to form in transversesection a cross, the four wings or flanges being formed with T- shapednotches to receive the fence wires, which are held in said notches bymeans of suitable keys. Finally, in a fence patented to me August 27,1878, I support twisted strips of metal,which constitute the rails ofthe fence, by means of tongues that are punched out of the ironfence-posts. The difference, however, between all of these variousdevices and my present invention will be apparent, since, first, thehorizontal or T-shaped slots of the braces referred to are not so welladapted to receive, seat, and brace the twisted strips or strands as theinclined slots; secondly, the inclined slots must be made upon bothsides of the brace and the brace must be made of metal; otherwise theexpansion or any tendency of the twisted metal strip to untwist underheat would split a wooden brace; thirdly, the peculiar nature of thefence to which my improvement is applied, and which will be hereinafterdescribed, requires the brace to possess strength and rigidity. This iseffected by the ribs, which are not wings or flanges, as in the casebefore referred to, but strengthening-ribs, designed to strengthen thebrace without necessitatin g the cost of a large thick bar of metal.

My improvement comprises a new article of manufacture, consistingof ametal center brace for a fence formed with longitudinal centralstrengthening-ribs upon opposite sides, and with inclined slots or seatsalternately extending from the opposite edges of the brace inwardlytoward the center thereof for seating, strengthening, and bracing thespiral strips or strands of a fence, as hereinafter more fullydescribed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an ironfence having my improved metallic center brace connected with the spiralstrips or strands which form the stringers of the fence. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of one of the metallic center braces constructedforapplication to the strips or strands; and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionof the said metallic center brace, illustrating'the ribs on each of itssides.

A A indicate the metallic spiral strips or strands, which, in a fence ofthis character, have heretofore been made of wrought-iron strips twistedseparately into spiral form and secured to the posts B as illustrated oras usual, said strips or strands being put around the posts and thentwisted so as to take up the slack by applying a twister to the strip orstrand at a point between the posts, the strip or strand at oppositesides of said twister being necessarily twisted in reverse directions.

The metallic center brace, the chief subject of my invention, isindicated by the letters 0 O, and said center brace is made ofwroughtiron. It can be produced rapidly and cheaply by rolling out themetal into a bar of proper shape and diameter and thencutting the sameinto suitable lengths, said bar being prefera' bly formed by saidrolling operation with a central longitudinal rib, D, upon each side,which not only serves to strengthen the bar, but also forms a seat forthe strips or strands, as will be presently explained. The bar or thelength cut therefrom to form the center brace willhave the inclinedslots or notches E formed alternately on opposite sides thereof, thesaid slots being cut from the edge of the strip or strand down to ornear the longitudinal ribs D D. These inclined slots may be formed inthe bar before or after it is severed into the desired lengths to formthe center braces. These slots incline upwardly, so that when the centerbrace is applied to the strips or strands the weight of the said bracewill serve to hold it down in place. Its lower end may reach the ground.The slots in the center brace receive and seat the strips or strands,the twist or spiral form adaptin g the strip to the incline of the slot,and, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the edge of the strip or strand restsagainst the inner end of the slot, and also against the ribs,whichconstitute broad seats or bearings, and-thereby more efficiently bracethe strips or strands and prevent the center brace from turning oraccidental detachment.

It is obvious that, by reason-of the spiral form of the strip or strand,the center brace cannot be shifted out of place; and hence that thenormal condition, beauty, and symmetry of the fence will always bepreserved,the strips or strands being seated, braced, strengthened, andmaintained at a' uniform distance apart Without necessitating the use ofWires or other contrivance's for securing and holding the center bracein position.

What I claim is As a new article of manufacture, the metallic centerbrace formed with longitudinal central strengthening-ribs upon oppositesides, and with inclined slots or seats alternately extending from theopposite edges of the brace inwardly toward the strengthening-ribs, forseating, strengthening, and bracing the spiral strips or strands of a.-fence, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

PETER HAYDEN.

Witnesses:

GEo. S. HIOKOK, ADAM HILL.

